"The German company that owns them has indicated that they should select the most cost-effective location," a memo from city staff says. "Because of this, they are requesting that the city consider helping level the playing field between other locations and staying downtown."

The city of Champaign will be keen to keep Volition in the downtown area -- according to a survey, employees at the studio spent around $375,000 on restaurants and retail stores in the area last year.

[Update: Additional information has been added to reflect that Volition may have to move out of downtown Champaign, rather than the city itself.]